Richland County continues to offer routine FREE COVID-19 drive-thru community testing events to our citizens weekly on MONDAYS from 9am-1pm and THURSDAYS from 9am-4pm at the Richland County Fairgrounds. Appointments are not required, but it is requested that those who wish to be tested pre-register at https://register.covidconnect.wi.gov. The website allows individuals to register for testing in advance with their personal information and gives them a QR code to scan at the testing site. Individuals who utilize this option will receive an email with their test results rather than a phone call. The Richland County Fairgrounds is a drive-thru testing site, so everyone will remain in their vehicles at all times. Vehicles with more than one person in them are welcome to be tested. You will be asked screening questions as you enter, if you did not pre-register, and the test will consist of a nasal swab. The test will then be sent to a State approved lab and results follow-up should occur approximately 3-7 business days post event.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Richland will offer FREE COVID-19 testing events on WEDNESDAYS from 9am-6pm in the Classroom Building located on the Richland Center campus. All participants must register for this testing event at www.DoINeedaCOVID19Test.com. Participants will also use the website to obtain their results. The UW System universities will be the first testing sites using the BinaxNOW antigen tests, which are self-administered tests, that provide a result in about 15 minutes. Anyone who has a positive antigen test will then be administered a PCR test to confirm or deny the positive reading. Additional information can be found at https://www.uwplatt.edu/news/update-coronavirus.
The Richland County Events on Mondays are only for Richland County residents who meet specific testing criteria. The UW-Platteville Richland Events on Wednesdays are open to Richland County residents and those in our surrounding communities (age 5 and older), and do not need to meet any criteria to be tested. The WI National Guard Events on Thursdays are open to Richland County residents and those in our surrounding communities (age 5 and older) who are experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19 and for asymptomatic individuals per Public Health recommendations. Symptoms of COVID-19 can be mild and include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of Breath
- Chills
- Muscle aches/pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste and/or smell
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal Pain
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Runny nose
Tests will be available on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE basis.
The expanded FREE COVID-19 Testing schedule for events offered in Richland County are as follows:
Monday, November 16th | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Wednesday, November 18th | 9am-6pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
Thursday, November 19th | 9am-4pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | WI National Guard Event |
Monday, November 23rd | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Wednesday, November 25th | 9am-6pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
Monday, November 30th | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Wednesday, December 2nd | 9am-6pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
Thursday, December 3rd | 9am-4pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | WI National Guard Event |
Monday, December 7th | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Wednesday, December 9th | 9am-6pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
Monday, December 14th | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
Wednesday, December 16th | 9am-6pm | Classroom Building | UW-Platteville Richland Event |
Monday, December 21st | 9am-1pm | Richland County Fairgrounds | Richland County Event |
This schedule is subject to change. Richland County continues to research location options to offer a drive-thru testing site into the 2021 winter months.
For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, follow Richland County Health & Human Services on Facebook or consult the following websites:
- The Greater Richland Area Chamber of Commerce: www.gorcchamber.com
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
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